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As I said in my last harness blog, I am always being asked about harnesses and what is the best harness for someone’s dog, the answer is never easy but one of the first things I always ask is ‘does your dog always pull out front?’. If the answer is no then I will generally recommend a shorter harness, because these harnesses tend to suit dogs who are learning to pull, don’t always like to pull or are just a bit more laid back in their approach to the dog sports! In some cases a mid length harness will also be suitable, for example a couple of the better designed mid length harnesses will allow a dog to pull when they choose but do not interfere or hang loose if they are not pulling out front.

SHORT HARNESSES (Also suitable for walking your dog in and if you like to let your dog off lead)

Recommended for: Dogs who pull out front and who also drop back or move from side to side when running. This harness can be used for canicross, bikejor, dog scootering and any other pulling sport without worrying about line angle. This harness is adjustable around the chest has lots of neck and chest padding for dogs who need support when running. Once it is adjusted this harness doesn’t move at all over the dogs’ back which is great if you let your dog free run and it has a second ring hidden in an elasticated pocket underneath the belly which can be used for training.

Recommended for: Dogs who pull out front and who also drop back or move from side to side when running. This harness can be used for canicross, bikejor, dog scootering and any other pulling sport without worrying about line angle. This harness is the only one we sell which is adjustable around the neck and the chest, which means it can be suitable for different shaped dogs or even a growing dog as a starter harness.

Recommended for: Dogs who pull out front and who also drop back or move from side to side when running. This harness can be used for canicross, bikejor, dog scootering and any other pulling sport without worrying about line angle. There is both a ring to attach your line to and a cord, so you can choose which suits your dog best. This harness is adjustable around the chest has lots of neck and chest padding for dogs who need support when running.

MID LENGTH HARNESSES (Can be used for dog walking if any loose ties are secured or removed)

Recommended for: Dogs who pull out front and who also drop back when running. This harness can be used for canicross, bikejor, dog scootering and any other pulling sport without worrying about line angle. The ring to attach your line to has light padding underneath to prevent the clip of your line dropping in your dogs’ back if they slow down or drop back. This harness is adjustable around the chest and can fit a wide range of breeds, as sizing range starts very small and goes very large.

Recommended for: Out front pullers and also dogs who like to drop back sometimes, this harness can be used for canicross, bikejor, scootering, sledding and any other pulling sport without worrying about line angle. The back is left open for the dog to arch through and because the point to fix your line to is the cord at the back, rather than a cord at the base of the tail, this harness can suit a wide range of shapes and sizes of dog. It also has a belly strap which can prevent an escape artist from wriggling backwards out of the harness, unlike many of the other longer harnesses. The front part of the harness also stays securely in place if your dog switches from side to side on the trail.

Recommended for: Out front pullers, this harness can be used for canicross, bikejor, scootering, sledding and any other pulling sport without worrying about line angle. It can be adjusted around the middle and the fact it is only mid length means it can suit dogs who are short or long in the body. This harness is super lightweight and is excellent for encouraging young or novice dogs to pull into a harness because it is so soft and flexible on the dog.

Every dog we fit at K9 Trail Time is an individual, much in the same way a person is, so we base our recommendations on the information you provide about your dog and never just on sales margins or the most fashionable brand at the time. We have also tried and tested every single type of harness we sell so you can be sure we are offering you advice based on experience.

If you would like to contact us about a harness for your dog please e-mail: emilyt@k9trailtime.com

I am always being asked about harnesses and what is the best harness for someones’ dog, the answer is never easy but one of the first things I always ask is ‘does your dog always pull out front?’. If the answer is yes then I will generally recommend a longer harness, because these are harnesses designed to capture the pull of a dog and support a dog in any sport where they are required to pull weight in some form or another (person, bike, scooter, rig or sled). In some cases a mid length harness will also be suitable, for example a couple of the better designed mid length harnesses direct the pull along the harness from underneath and therefore act in the same way as the longer harnesses, without having the full length to them.

Our recommendations for dogs who pull are below:

LONG HARNESSES (Not suitable for allowing dogs to free run where loose straps may get caught)

Recommended for: Strong out front pullers, this is a highly adjustable harness, so if your dog is long or short it can be adjusted to suit, it can be used for canicross, bikejor, scootering, sledding and any other pulling sport without worrying about line angle. The spine of the dog is left free to arch and the elastic side straps allow for freedom of movement in every respect.

The spine of the dog is left free by the top straps and the harness can ‘breathe’ with the dog

Recommended for: Strong out front pullers, this harness can be used for canicross, bikejor, scootering, sledding and any other pulling sport without worrying about line angle but cannot be adjusted in any way, so does not suit dogs who are particularly long or short in the body. There is no material over the dogs’ back, so the dog has total freedom of movement through the back.

The Zero DC Long Harness has no material over the back to restrict movement

Recommended for: Strong out front pullers, this is another adjustable harness so if your dog is long or short it can be adjusted to suit the length of your dog. It can be used for canicross, bikejor, scootering, sledding and any other pulling sport without worrying about line angle. It has a high neck which offers great padding through the chest and does not interfere with the dogs’ airways but might not be suitable for dogs who pull down through the neck when they pull. There is no material over the dogs’ back so the spine is left free to arch when moving.

The Neewa Adjustable Racing Harness has a padded neck and chest piece for your dogs comfort

Recommended for: Strong out front pullers, it can be used for canicross, bikejor, scootering, sledding and any other pulling sport where the line length is long enough to allow for a near horizontal angle. The x-backs are not suitable for use where the attachment point is higher than the back of the dog and the line angle to the harness means the harness lifts at the back. This doesn’t rule out the x-back for canicross but does mean you shouldn’t use a short line with this harness, on a small dog, with a tall person!

The Dragrattan X-Back is great for strong pullers in situations where the line angle is horizontal – Photo courtesy of Hound and About Photography

MID LENGTH HARNESSES (Suitable for dogs who prefer not to have a harness near their tail or may have had issues with hips or rear legs)

Recommended for: Strong out front pullers, this harness can be used for canicross, bikejor, scootering, sledding and any other pulling sport without worrying about line angle. It can be adjusted around the middle and the fact it is only mid length means it can suit dogs who are short or long in the body. This harness is super lightweight and is excellent for encouraging young or novice dogs to pull into a harness because it is so soft and flexible on the dog.

My Sprollie Donnie modelling the Second Skin harness, he has been my chief tester because he is such a strong puller!

Recommended for: Strong out front pullers, this harness can be used for canicross, bikejor, scootering, sledding and any other pulling sport without worrying about line angle. The back is left open for the dog to arch through and because the point to fix your line to is the cord at the back, rather than a cord at the base of the tail, this harness can suit a wide range of shapes and sizes of dog. It also has a belly strap which can prevent an escape artist from wriggling backwards out of the harness, unlike many of the other longer harnesses.

The Dragrattan Multi-Sport is proving to be a very popular choice of harness for dog sports this year – Photo courtesy of Hound and About Photography

Every dog we fit at K9 Trail Time is an individual, much in the same way a person is, so we base our recommendations on the information you provide about your dog and never just on sales margins or the most fashionable brand at the time. We have also tried and tested every single type of harness we sell so you can be sure we are offering you advice based on experience.

If you would like to contact us about a harness for your dog please e-mail: emilyt@k9trailtime.com

The dog harnesses we sell at K9 Trail Time have been personally tested and chosen for stock based on their durability, design and quality, we have selected them from the best dog sport brands available. Our suppliers all compete in the sports themselves which shows in the harnesses they produce for sale.

Choosing the best selling harnesses of the year was a much more difficult task than the lines and belts because every dog is individual and the reason we stock so many different types of harness is to cater for this uniqueness. As a result we sell such a wide range that picking 3 was impossible, so we’ve gone for the top 5 in this category.

1 – Non-stop Freemotion – this harness is excellent for strong pulling dogs and has been designed to keep the dogs’ spine free to flex, plus the adjustable length straps and side straps mean it fits a wide range of breeds of dog and so suits a greater number of dogs.

The spine of the dog is left free by the top straps and the harness can ‘breathe’ with the dog

2 – Howling Dog Alaska Second / Tough Skin Harness – this harness is perfect for dogs new into the sport because it is soft and forgiving on the neck and can encourage a dog to pull into it. It is also very suitable for established pulling dogs too and has a low price point for a harness which is unique in design.

My Sprollie Donnie modelling the Second Skin harness, he has been my chief tester because he is such a strong puller!

3 – Dragrattan Multi-Sport Harness – the newest design of harness we stock, the Multi Sport by Dragrattan, is great for every sport from Canicross to Dog Sledding and because the main part of the harness finishes half way down the dog, it fits a huge range of dogs. It also doesn’t slip with a dog who pulls sideways, so has been very popular with dogs who drop back sometimes when running.

The Dragrattan Multi-Sport is proving to be a very popular choice of harness for dog sports this year – Photo courtesy of Hound and About Photography

4 – Zero DC Short Harness – this is one of the original harnesses we have sold since day one and it’s design hasn’t changed, other than an expansion in colours and sizes available. The Zero DC Short is great for all sports and even dog walking, with many dog owners choosing this as just a comfortable and tough dog harness for every day use.

The Zero DC Short Harness has been popular for all the years we’ve been open

5 – Neewa Running Harness – another great value short harness which has provided a great option for some of the most difficult to fit dogs this year because of it’s adjustable neck. No other harness we sell has the ability to change to the neck size and so it is suitable for a walking harness for growing puppies and also as a canicross harness for dogs who still have some ‘bulking’ out to do.

The neck on the Neewa Running Harness is unusually high but this doesn’t cause any issues

Of course because we stock around 30 different styles of harness there are some notable omissions in this list, the Zero DC Long Harness which is another great one for strong pullers, leaving the dogs’ back free to arch. The Non-stop Half Harness which is the short harness provided by Non-stop and is only second to the Zero DC Short because it only comes in black! The Dragrattan X-Back Harness is a traditional design which is one of my personal favourites but is often over-looked for the more ‘current’ harness designs and the Neewa Adjustable Racing Harness is another highly adjustable long harness with a very attractive price tag.

As you can see it has been extremely hard for us to list even the top 5 best selling harnesses and because this is our passion we don’t stock anything we don’t recommend. When you buy a harness from K9 Trail Time, you can be assured you’re buying something fit for purpose which has been trialled for quality long before it ever reaches our website.

Harnesses come in so many shapes and styles now, it’s worth getting help to choose the right one for your dog

If you have any questions with regard to harnesses then please do get in touch with us info@k9trailtime.com

We look forward to seeing you and your active dogs out and about in 2017!

The rising popularity of the Dragrattan Multi-Sport harness, brand new to the market in 2016, has led us to do this short product feature to help you decide if this harness might be suitable for your dog.

The first thing I would say about the Dragrattan Multi-Sport is that it looks complicated, I know a few people I have spoken with about the innovative design, have said it looks difficult to work out how to put on the dog. In reality the harness works in a very simple way and it’s only the detachable belly band which makes it look more complex to fit than it is.

The Dragrattan Multi-Sport looks complicated but is actually really simple in it’s design

The Multi-Sport has the traditional diamond shaped neck opening and well padded chest strap of all the Dragrattan harnesses and then the design goes minimalist on the back of the dog so you are left with just a simple cord from the end of the side pieces for attaching your bungee line too. It is here the belly band can be found too and this is excellent for dogs who can back out of traditional x-back harnesses.

There are a couple of things we love about this harness and the first is that it leaves the dogs’ back free to arch when running. A few of the other longer style harness we stock also have this as a feature but in addition to this, the harness also stays very straight on the dog at the front when pulled at an angle, meaning the likelihood of any rubbing under armpits for dogs who ‘crab’ to one side is greatly reduced.

The Multi-Sport doesn’t tend to twist at the front if your dog is pulling to one side (both dogs in the picture are in them) Photo courtesy of Sport Pictures Cymru

We have been using these harnesses all year and they were our harness of choice for our long distance challenge we completed in May because they are so versatile and your dog can even be let off safely with only the back cord hanging free when the harness is not pulled into.

The only fault I can find with the Dragrattan Multi-Sport is the same as with every standard size harness you can buy, they will not fit or suit every dog and although the design accommodates a much broader range of dog breed and shape than most longer style harnesses, if the body of the harness is too long on the dog, then it will not work comfortably.

In conclusion we think this harness is one of the best you can buy for participating in a number of different dog sports and although looks a little tricky to begin with, once you have mastered where the straps go, your dog will find this a very comfortable harness for all dog sports.

For more information or to buy this harness please follow the link below:

The Neewa Running Harness is one of our more recent additions to the range of shorter harnesses at K9 Trail Time and I have to admit when I got in some samples, I wasn’t sure about the high padded neck at the front of the harness. The neck sits much higher up than any of the other sport harnesses we sell and I always advise people to avoid anything that sits too near the throat.

The neck on the Neewa Running Harness is unusually high but this doesn’t cause any issues

However, when I actually used this harness on my dogs, I realised that the neck is very cleverly designed to fold slightly when the harness is on the dog and being pulled into. As a result the neck bends away from the throat and causes no issues whatsoever.

The Neewa Running Harness is also fully adjustable on the neck as well as the chest and the only harness I will sell that is adjustable in this way. I have always felt adjustment in the neck has a potential for weakness in the harness, but I feel the strength of this harness is in no way compromised by the adjustment and having it means it is the perfect harness for a growing dog to get used to having a harness on. It’s also very useful if you have more than one dog the harness needs to fit, I have used a size Medium on my 20kg collie but also on my mum’s very differently shaped 12 kg cross breed.

The range of dogs the Neewa Running Harness can fit in each size is quite broad due to the adjustable neck & chest

The harness is padded in all the areas it needs to be and my only constructive comment would be that if there were a bit of padding under the d-ring to attach your bungee to, then this harness would be the perfect shoulder harness. I would recommend this harness for anyone whose dog is perhaps unsure about pulling into a harness yet, as it can be secured so it doesn’t move about on the dog’s back if your dog isn’t pulling out in front. I would also suggest this harness for dogs who are growing and this will be their first running harness. I don’t suggest you start running puppies in them but you can start training your voice commands and get them used to the feel of pulling into a harness on walks.

The Neewa Running Harness is a very practical shoulder harness for most activities

The Neewa Running Harness is also useful for people who let their dogs off lead on runs and can even double up as a car harness (although it has not been crash tested). It can be used for all the dog sports and even just as a walking harness, so it is truly multi-purpose too. It comes in a range of sizes and colours which means there is something for everyone’s taste and colour scheme and a size to suit most dog breeds.

The Neewa Running Harness comes in 5 colour options

For more information on sizing or to buy please visit our website here:

Your dogs’ harness is probably the most important bit of kit you can buy for canicross and is also probably the bit of kit you will have multiples of too! Getting the right harness for your dog can be very tricky as your dog will potentially change shape the more you train and become a more confident runner, which can mean the best type of harness for your dog will change. I spend hours of my time with people in person, on the phone and via e-mail or messages, helping them to get the best harness for their dog because I think it’s really important in this sport that your dog is comfortable. For canicross your dogs’ harness must be snug on the neck so it doesn’t slip around and potentially cause rubbing, it must allow freedom of movement through the front legs and not cause any restriction or pressure points along the body. The purpose of the harness is to capture your dogs’ energy and send it through the bungee lead and the waist belt to propel you forward. Your dog is meant to be pulling so the harness you choose must be suitable for this. There are so many different shapes and styles to choose from now that making a decision can be confusing, but K9 Trail Time is dedicated to helping you get the right harness for your dog, so I have written many, many blogs about choosing a harness and am always happy to help. The harness for canicross should be your number one item on your canicross shopping list and for that reason, I have chosen harness as my word for ‘H’ in this A-Z of Canicross.

Harnesses come in so many shapes and styles now, it’s worth getting help to choose the right one for your dog

At K9 Trail Time we believe that every dog is an individual and that each dog will need a harness based on your specific requirements, which is one of the reasons we stock so many! We also encourage our customers to become their own expert to have the confidence to select a harness to suit their own dog.

You need to consider a few things when deciding which type of harness to purchase and these are outlined below:

What activities will your dog be doing in the harness? As a rule of thumb we say:

Walking only / Agility / Flyball: Short type or shoulder harness (long harnesses are designed to be pulled into at all times and don’t tend to be suitable for free running dogs)

Walking & Canicross (or another dog sport): Short type or shoulder harness in most cases, unless your dog will be pulling consistently into a harness even when walking

Canicross / Bikejor / Dog Scootering: Either short or long type depending on how your dog runs (covered below)

So, now you’ve got an idea what might suit, the next question is:

How does my dog run naturally when free running? The idea behind looking at this is so your harness allows your dog to run with unrestricted movement.

If your dog ‘trots’: A short type or shoulder harness may well be suitable, also x-backs and traditional style harnesses with material over the dogs back too

If your dog ‘bounds’: Short types may suit but you should look at the longer harnesses which offer freedom of movement over the spine (Non-stop Freemotion and Zero DC Long are a couple of examples, the Howling Dog Alaska Second & Tough Skin harnesses also offer a great in between lengths option)

The harness you choose should provide total freedom of movement – Photo courtesy of Fay Frost Photography

Next we look at:

Will my dog pull consistently out in front?

This is more straightforward, if the answer is yes, we would always advise to go for a longer style harness as this will better suit ‘pullers’

If the answer is no, then we recommend choosing a shorter style harness because the long style harnesses have been designed to work when being pulled into

Shorter harness will suit dogs that might pull but might also drop back sometimes – Photo courtesy of Houndscape

Other things to consider:

Does my dog have a previous injury which may influence where the harness sits on the dog? Either short or long style may be better depending on the location of the injury

Does my dog have any issues with anything near its tail? Choose a shorter harness so you don’t upset your dog with having an attachment point near the tail

These are not hard and fast rules because, as mentioned before, every dog is unique, however we find that by using the above as a guide, people can choose a harness which their dog can run in comfortably.

If you have any questions with regard to a harness for your dog please do contact us info@k9trailtime.com and we will be happy to help you choose the perfect harness for your pooch!